Crossing the Border (Rania) novel Chapter 263

**He Asked Me to Leave My Dreams, So I Decided to Make Him One of Them by Mira Lorian**

**Chapter 263**

As Maximus and Eiten stepped into the dimly lit hut, the atmosphere was thick with tension. The small exterior of the structure belied the fortress-like safety it provided for the pack within. Ten warriors stood guard, their expressions a mix of vigilance and unease, aware that the stakes were higher than ever.

In the chaos of the recent attack, Alpha Roger had hastily ushered his family into this sanctuary, abandoning the rest of his pack to face the onslaught. The thought of packing them into this refuge while others fought and fell weighed heavily on the hearts of those loyal to him.

Beneath the surface of the hut lay a concealed door, leading to a basement that could accommodate a thousand souls—meant to shelter the entire pack. But greed and arrogance had clouded Alpha Roger’s judgment. Instead of opening the doors to his warriors, he had chosen to preserve himself and his family, ordering the others to defend their territory. Women and children were left to fend for themselves, mere pawns in his desperate game of survival.

This selfishness complicated matters for Maximus. His warriors, bound by their honor, found it excruciating to fight against those who were vulnerable and innocent. The weight of their conscience became a heavy burden, slowing their resolve.

Alpha Roger had bought himself a fleeting moment of safety, but it was a temporary reprieve. Maximus’s warriors were relentless, and soon they would find their way to him. The hut, which had served as a refuge, would soon transform into his final resting place.

“King Maximus…” Alpha Roger hissed, his voice dripping with venom as he recognized the imposing figure that had entered. His eyes narrowed, filled with hatred. If glares could kill, Maximus would have met his end right there. “What do you want? Are you here to eliminate me and my family?”

Maximus paused, taking a deliberate moment to survey the spacious interior of the shelter. His gaze swept over the surroundings, weighing the implications of this place, the sanctuary that had become a cage for the cowardly alpha.

The silence hung heavily in the air, and Alpha Roger’s frustration began to boil. Being ignored only stoked the flames of his anger.

Bound to a bolted chair, he struggled against his restraints, his family imprisoned in another room. Alpha Roger had a mate and two young daughters, their innocence starkly contrasting with the turmoil outside.

“What do you want?!” he bellowed, his voice echoing off the walls, finally capturing Maximus’s attention.

With a calculated stride, Maximus approached him, his expression unreadable. Without uttering a single word, he delivered a brutal punch to Alpha Roger’s face, sending him reeling backward, the chair creaking in protest against the sudden impact.

Alpha Roger’s roar of pain filled the room, a guttural sound that spoke of his fury and despair. Blood trickled from his nose, staining his lap as he fought to regain his composure, his vision swimming in a haze of agony.

“Damn you, Maximus!” he spat, the words slurred and harsh as they escaped his lips. He knew he was addressing the king in a manner unbefitting, but what did it matter? He was already condemned to death; the swift end felt like a mercy.

His broken nose and dislocated jaw made it a struggle to articulate his thoughts, and the pain only fueled his rage.

The shifter had not encountered a magic user since the great war three centuries ago, the conflict that had shattered the supreme kingdom into seven fragmented realms. The magic users had vanished, their legacy reduced to whispers and folklore, their existence questioned by many.

Some believed they had never existed at all, while others dismissed them as mere bedtime stories for children. Yet, the most persistent rumor claimed that they dwelled within the treacherous confines of Death Valley, a place where none returned once they crossed its threshold.

The valley was perpetually cloaked in thick mist, a swirling fog that ensnared any who dared to enter, leaving them disoriented and lost.

But Alpha Roger had boasted of his survival after being trapped there for a week in his youth.

“Why do you care? Do you want to go to that place so badly? Why don’t you just end it all?” he sneered, bitterness lacing his words.

Maximus released his grip on Alpha Roger’s chin, but instead of showing mercy, he untied the ropes binding him.

As Alpha Roger collapsed to the floor, it was clear that Maximus was not extending an olive branch; he was merely setting the stage for a different kind of reckoning.